Crispy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter Tarragon and Hazelnuts

I made this tasty pumpkin gnocchi back in the fall when I came across an adorably-shaped squash at the farmer’s market and wanted to put it to good use. I meant to post it right away, but then the holiday madness started and I ended up working on so many different projects that I’d forgotten about this post up until a couple weeks ago when I came across the photos on my hard drive and became instantly ravenous. And now that I’ve finished putting the topcoat on our refinished hardwoods and am trapped in the kitchen literally waiting for the paint to dry, I actually have the time to share it. Hurray!

To prepare the pumpkin gnocchi, I roasted a small winter squash in the oven to soften its flesh and make it easier to chop up. Then I pureed it with ricotta, creme fraiche, sage, and eggs to form a paste, worked in some flour, and voila! Gnocchi. I do need to emphasize, though, that the amount of flour will vary depending on the size of your squash and the humidity of your kitchen. With gnocchi, you want your dough to be just firm enough that it stays together and doesn’t get absurdly sticky on the floured surface, but you need to be careful not to add too much flour otherwise you start to loose the taste of the squash. After you cut off each little pumpkin gnocchi piece, lightly roll it in flour to keep it from being as sticky while you continue cutting off little gnocchi bits.

To cook them, I fried them in a bit of oil and then tossed them in brown butter along with toasted hazelnuts, some fresh tarragon, and more creme fraiche (this stuff is seriously the best). The pumpkin gnocchi gets slightly crunchy on the outside and puffs up on the inside when you fry it, creating one of the most enjoyable textural sensations of all time. I really cannot emphasize enough how delicious this stuff is, the crunch of the toasted hazelnuts, the nuttiness of the brown butter, the sweet zing of the tarragon, all paired with fluffy little pumpkin gnocchi. Your stomach and tastebuds will thank you!

On a side note, my kitchen remodel was recently featured on Design Sponge and The Kitchn, I’ll be writing about the extremely lengthy remodeling process here soon but you can hop over to those articles to get some general info and pretty pictures! I also have a recipe for blood orange margaritas over on Design Love Fest and a recipe for sesame drumsticks with umami rice over at One Kings Lane. They’re both ridiculously tasty, I promise!!